Khunjerab National Park

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Khunjerab National Park (Template:Langx) is a national park in Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan. Khunjerab National Park is Pakistan's third largest national park, and is adjacent to the Taxkorgan Natural Reserve in China.[1][2][3][4]

Etymology

Khun means "blood" and jerav means "to stream" in Wakhi, the native language of the region.[5]

History

Khunjerab National Park was established primarily as a means to protect the Marco Polo sheep (as well as snow leopards and bharal) living in the area.[6][7] The borders of the park were mapped by George Schaller of the Wildlife Conservation Society in 1974, after a short field survey. The park was formally established on 29 April 1975 by Prime Minister of Pakistan Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who said that "it must become a world famous park".[8]

Some tall, blue-grey mountains rise out of brown soil below a deep blue sky
Khunjerab Pass is close to the national park's northwest corner

Despite being listed as a category 2 national park, banning human activities including agriculture and hunting, the park was poorly managed, meaning that illegal hunting of the Marco Polo sheep continued. Because of this, the International Union for Conservation of Nature commissioned Norwegian biologist Per Wegge to do a wildlife survey of the park in 1988.[9] Wegge found that there was no evidence of competition between the domestic sheep being illegally grazed and the wild Marco Polo sheep, and that most of the illegal hunting was not being done by local Wakhi residents.[9] He therefore proposed that the park be reclassified, allowing grazing and commercial hunting, with the profits going to local residents. However, the government overlooked Wegge's suggestions, instead drawing up a new management plan, which both the IUCN and the World Wildlife Fund supported as a means to preserve the park and protect the wildlife. Wegge was critical of the government scheme, claiming that it was based on financial considerations, with the Pakistani government hoping to attract tourists to the area. The IUCN agreed with this, and has since distanced itself from the national park.[10] To help protect the animals from poaching, the WWF has created the Khunzerav Village Organization, which relies on people living in the area to report poaching or endangered animal sightings.[11] This park was created on 29 April 1975 on the recommendation of wildlife biologist Dr. George Schaller. Over half of the park is above 4,000 m. Khunjerab Pass, the gateway to China via the Karakoram Highway, is at 4,934 m.

File:NBP, World's Highest ATM.jpg
The world's highest ATM near the Khunjerab Pass installed by NBP, is situated in the park.

There is an ATM considered as the world's highest ATM at a height of Script error: No such module "convert". above sea level, installed by National Bank of Pakistan is located near the China-Pakistan border cross at Khunjerab Pass.[12]

Wildlife

The primary purpose of this park was to provide protection to the endangered Marco Polo sheep, which is only found in this area in Pakistan. According to the Mir of Hunza, the population of sheep was around 400 but had dropped to below 180 by the time of the completion of the Karakoram Highway. A herd of almost 75 Marco Polo sheep was recorded in the spring of 1984 and park staff saw at least 50 crossing the pass in May 1989.

The park is also home to snow leopards.[13][12] Some reports say that it might contain the highest density of these beautiful cats in the total Himalayan ecosystem, which is the natural habitat of these cats. Over 2,000 Siberian ibex, widely distributed and abundant in the park but absent from neighbouring China, are also present here.

Feral or semi-feral animals especially domestic yaks can be seen roaming in the park.[14]

Mammals

Total species: 16. Mammals in the park include:[15][16][7]

Name of animal Scientific name Status Pictures
Common pipistrelle Pipistrellus pipistrellus Least concern File:Pipistrellus female-1.jpg
Grey long-eared bat Plecotus austriacus Near Threatened File:Plecotus austriacus2.jpg
Indian wolf Canis lupus pallipes Endangered File:Indian wolf (Canis lupus pallipes) - cropped.jpg
Hill fox Vulpes vulpes montana Data Deficient File:Keulemans hill fox.png
Himalayan brown bear Ursus arctos isabellinus Critically Endangered File:Medvěd plavý (Ursus arctos isabellinus).jpg
Snow leopard Panthera uncia Critically Endangered File:Irbis4.JPG
Himalayan ibex Capra sibirica Near Threatened File:Siberian Ibex.jpg
Bharal Pseudois nayaur Endangered (Shimshal area only) File:Bharal - Shreeram M V - Kibber, Spiti Valley, Himachal Pradesh, India.jpg
Marco Polo sheep Ovis ammon polii Critically Endangered File:Marco polo sheep line drawing.jpg
Cape hare Lepus capensis Vulnerable File:Lepus capensis (cropped).jpg
Large-eared pika Ochotona macrotis Least concern File:The Pika.jpg
Long-tailed marmot Marmota caudata Least Concern File:Long-tailed Marmot - Shreeram M V - Suru Valley.jpg
Kashmir field mouse Apodemus rusiges Least concern
Grey dwarf hamster Nothocricetulus migratorius Least concern File:Grey Dwarf Hamster in habitat.jpg

Birds

Script error: No such module "Unsubst". 45 avian species are found in the Khunjerab National Park.[15][16]

Name of bird Scientific name Pictures
Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros File:Black redstart, Phase 7, Mohali, Punjab, India.jpg
White-capped redstart Phoenicurus leucocephalus File:Chaimarrornis leucocephalus - Doi Inthanon.jpg
Güldenstädt's redstart Phoenicurus erythrogastrus File:Guldenstadt's Redstart - Shreeram M V - Ladakh, India.jpg
Blue whistling thrush Myophonus caeruleus File:Blue-Whistling Thrush East Sikkim India 10.05.2014.jpg
Blue rock thrush Monticola solitarius File:Monticola solitarius, Spain 1.jpg
Desert wheatear Oenanthe deserti File:Desert Wheatear (Oenanthe deserti) Photograph by Shantanu Kuveskar.jpg
Red-fronted serin Serinus pusillus File:Fire-fronted Serin Nainital Uttarakhand India 31.01.2015.jpg
Common rosefinch Carpodacus erythrinus File:Common Rosefinch Neora Valley National Park Darjeeling West Bengal India 30.04.2016.jpg
Great rosefinch Carpodacus rubicilla File:Great Rosefinch.jpg
Plain mountain finch Leucosticte nemoricola File:Plain Mountain Finch East Sikkim India 13.06.2014.jpg
Grey wagtail Motacilla cinerea File:Grey wagtail by Gunjan Pandey.jpg
Masked wagtail Motacilla alba personata File:White wagtail - Male (Non-breeding- personata race) at Hodal- I IMG 9164.jpg
Citrine wagtail Motacilla citreola File:Citrine Wagtail (Motacilla citreola)- Breeding Male of calcarata race at Bharatpur I IMG 5752.jpg
White wagtail Motacilla alba File:White wagtail female first summer.jpg
Red-billed chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax File:Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax -standing-8.jpg
Alpine chough Pyrrhocorax graculus File:Alpine Chough by Jim Higham.jpg
Common raven Corvus corax File:Corvus corax.001 - Tower of London.JPG
Eurasian golden oriole Oriolus oriolus File:Loriot d'Europe by Michel Idre.jpg
Lesser whitethroat Curruca curruca File:Sylvia curruca 1 (Martin Mecnarowski).jpg
Brown dipper Cinclus pallasii File:Cinclus pallasii (side).JPG
Common chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita File:Chiffchaff - Phylloscopus collybita.jpg
Greenish warbler Phylloscopus trochiloides File:Greenish Warbler Sikkim India 11.05.2014.jpg
Horned lark Eremophila alpestris File:Shore Lark.jpg
House sparrow Passer domesticus File:House sparrow male in Prospect Park (53532).jpg
Rock bunting Emberiza cia File:Rock Bunting (Cochem).jpg
Wallcreeper Tichodroma muraria File:Wallcreeper (Tichodroma muraria) female Piatra Craiului.jpg
Brown accentor Prunella fulvescens File:Brown Accentor at Upper Sumdo, Ladakh, India.jpg
Radde's accentor Prunella ocularis File:Prunella ocularis 1a.jpg
Long-tailed shrike Lanius schach File:Long-tailed Shrilke 0A2A3080.jpg
White-eared bulbul Pycnonotus leucotis File:White eared Bulbul I2-Bharatpur IMG 8495.jpg
Bearded vulture Gypaetus barbatus File:Bearded vulture.jpg
Himalayan vulture Gyps himalayensis File:Himalayan Griffon (Gyps himalayensis).jpg
Eurasian sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus File:Accipiter nisus edit.jpg
Common kestrel Falco tinnunculus File:Common kestrel falco tinnunculus.jpg
Golden eagle Aquila chrysaetos File:Maakotka (Aquila chrysaetos) by Jarkko Järvinen (crop).jpg
Chukar partridge Alectoris chukar File:Alectoris-chukar-001.jpg
Himalayan snowcock Tetraogallus himalayensis File:Himalayan Snowcock from Ladakh.jpg
Snow pigeon Columba leuconota File:SNOW-PIGEON-SELA.jpg
European turtle dove Streptopelia turtur File:Turtle dove (Streptopelia turtur turtur) Hungary.jpg
Common sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos File:Actitis hypoleucos - Laem Pak Bia.jpg
Little stint Calidris minuta File:Little Stint (Calidris minuta) 2.jpg
Common cuckoo Cuculus canorus File:Cuculus canorus vogelartinfo chris romeiks CHR0791 cropped.jpg
Common hawk-cuckoo Hierococcyx varius File:Common Hawk Cuckoo, from Dhaka, Bangladesh.jpg
Eurasian hoopoe Upupa epops File:Eurasian hoopoe by Gunjan Pandey.jpg
Common moorhen Gallinula chloropus File:Common moorhen (Gallinula chloropus) France.jpg

Reptiles

Two species of reptiles are found here:[15][16]

Name of animal Scientific name Status Pictures
Himalayan agama Paralaudakia himalayana Common File:Laudakia himalayana.jpg
Pakistani agama Laudakia pakistanica Common

See also

References

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Works cited

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External links

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